Panthers receiver Steve Smith threatens to punch Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins for trash talk

(USA Today Sports Images)

The officials in the Panthers-Rams game had to be thrilled when the game was over.

It was an ugly game. For most of the second half it seemed there was a near-fight after every play. Chris Long was ejected for throwing a punch. Rams receiver Brian Quick and Rams defensive end Eugene Sims also struck a blow to a Panthers player, although somehow neither was ejected. Panthers safety Mike Mitchell celebrated after injuring Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. There were 127 penalty yards in the game and it seemed like there could have been double that.

Carolina receiver Steve Smith was in the middle of a lot of the action, and he and Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins had words on a few occasions. When Smith beat Jenkins for a touchdown, he turned and pointed right at Jenkins after he scored. Smith revealed after the game that Jenkins was talking about his family, and he was not pleased.

Given that Smith has a few fighting incidents in his past, he might not be be joking around.

The Jenkins-Smith feud also produced one of the best GIFs of the NFL season (h/t to The Big Lead):

The best news to come out of the Panthers' 30-15 win is that it was over, and the two teams don't play again this season. A rematch might have needed extra officials on the field.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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